Senate endorses K-3 literacy bill, sends it to governor’s desk

A key piece of Idaho’s public school budget for next year – Gov. Butch Otter’s literacy initiative – has just passed the Senate on a unanimous, 35-0 vote. The bill, HB 526 , still requires funding; it could be up to $10.7 million. JFAC will have to reconvene to set the appropriation. HB 526 provides for a stepped-up program to help children in grades K-3 who struggle with reading up to grade level. “I think it’s key to our education success,” Senate Education Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, told the Senate.

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, a retired teacher, said, “This is really a good bill and it’s much-needed. During the recession, many of you know there were many programs cut. Reading specialists were let go. We went to a four-day work week in some districts. And there’s nothing more important than making sure our children can read by 3 ^rd grade. One of the things I like about this bill, it allows local districts to tailor a program that will work for them, that will address those issues of the students they’ve identified.”

Sen. Steven Thayn, R-Emmett, said he’d support the bill. “I do have some concerns about the way the money’s being distributed,” he said, based on students’ scores on the Idaho Reading Indicator test. “I don’t think the test was designed for that purpose,” Thayn said. “Hopefully we will see some changes to this bill next year to make it even better.”

Mortimer responded, “Like all good legislation, there’s always room for some type of improvement. I am absolutely positive that we’ll be discussing this issue over the next few years.”

The House-passed legislation now heads to the governor’s desk.